Thailand to Laos and Back

Thailand on the right hand side and Laos on the other side of the Mekong River

Wednesday, June 20, 2012: Nong Khai

I had mainly come to Nong Khai to renew my Thai visa by crossing the border to Laos and getting a 15-day permit to remain in Thailand after reentering. All this can be done within two hours at the most.

I took a tuk-tuk from my hotel to the western bank of the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge which was opened on April 8, 1994, and was the first bridge across the lower Mekong. After passing Thai immigration and leaving Thailand, there are shuttle buses to take people across the bridge where one applies for the visa for Laos which is for 30-days, cost USD 35 for my passport (Austrian) and requires 1 passport photo. If you don't have the photo, it costs USD 1 extra. It also costs another USD 1 if you cross after 6 p.m. or on weekends as this is considered overtime!

2 young Thai monks - they were more but I had to reset my camera and by then most had disappeared

Once you enter Laos, you can either continue and visit the country - the capital Vientiane is only 20 kms away - or you can basically make a U-turn and board the shuttle bus again and go back to the Thai side where you are stamped and on you go.

Apart from my border crossing adventure, I called the Thai tourist office in Loei and was lucky to secure a room at a guesthouse in Dan Sai where the Phi Ta Khon (Ghost) festival will take place. The festivities will last from June 22-24, so I will stay for four nights and leave on June 25. I don't expect that the guesthouse will have internet, so news about the festival will follow after I will be connected to the World Wide Web again.

A small temple near the Mekong riverside and my attempt at HDR-processing

On June 21, I will go back to Udon Thani as there seems to be no bus from Nong Khai to Dan Sai and take it from there. It is all a bit fuzzy still but knowing that I will have a bed during my stay there is already a big relief.

Details of the day:

In Nong Khai, I am staying at the Nongkhai City Hotel (www.nongkhaicityhotel.com/) which is very new and well located.

The tuk-tuk ride to and from the Friendship Bridge were 50 THB each, the shuttle bus ticket 15 THB to the Lao side and 20 THB back but that is because of the less favorable exchange rate for the THB in Laos.